Tragic Brits in their 70s died together in Spanish floods as they drove to get petrol

Two British ex-pats in their 70s died tragically together in their car after getting caught in floods in Spain. Donald Turner, 78, and Terry Turner, 74, became trapped in their car during the Valencia floods last year. The pair were found dead in their vehicle on November 2, 2024. The natural disaster was Spain’s largest flooding catastrophe in decades, leaving more than 230 people dead when nearly a year’s worth of rain fell in just eight hours, reports Stoke On Trent Live . An inquest into their deaths heard the couple were reported missing to the Spanish authorities as torrential floods hit the Spanish city on October 29 last year. Donald and Terry, from Burntwood in Staffordshire had been driving to a petrol station near their home when they attempted to cross a ford that was one-foot wide. A sudden burst of floodwater emerged from uphill, flipping their car onto its side and leaving the pair submerged inside. Relatives reported that the ‘catastrophic’ aftermath left the usually narrow ford around 50m in length. Paying tribute, daughter Ruth O’Loughlin said: “They were the best people. And the best parents anyone could have ever asked for. Dad was always the funny one, being silly and having a laugh. Mum was more serious but she always gave the best advice when you needed it.” Her sister, Renee Turner, added: “They’d planned to move away for retirement for a long time. They actually wanted to go to Greece originally, but the house prices were too expensive. They’d lived there for 11 years. Dad loved it, but Mum had started to miss home towards the end. They were actually planning on moving back soon - which just makes it all the more tragic.” Dr Miquel Solenne, of the Medical Institute of Valencia, confirmed that the couple had died from ‘mechanical asphyxiation’ after becoming submerged in their car. Daughter Ruth and Renee criticised Spanish authorities at the time of their parents' deaths for failing to provide enough warning of the massive floods. Their concerns were shared with the inquest. Speaking on the subject, Coroner Andrew Barkley said: “The issue at hand, which is of course a very valid concern, is that the outcome may have been different had a weather warning been given earlier. The difficulty I have with that is I don’t have any evidence that helps me come to a sensible conclusion. "Of course, predicting a flooding event and the effects it will have is often very difficult. Whilst I understand fully that there is a very legitimate concern, I don’t think we can take that particular matter any further forward.” Mr Barkley concluded that the couple had died as a result of misadventure after becoming caught up in the floods. He added: “It was a natural event. The misadventure is that they died as a consequence of driving their car to a petrol station to get gas. “My thanks to all the family for attending. Your evidence has been very helpful. It is very difficult when the information we’ve received from the foreign jurisdiction is so sparse. I hope this has brought you some form of closure.”